New Tuxedo park should be ready this fall

Published: Monday, August 4, 2014 at 9:25 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, August 4, 2014 at 9:25 p.m.

Residents of Tuxedo, Zirconia and Green River could have a new public park by this fall, after county commissioners on Monday authorized a $328,328 construction project at the former Tuxedo Mill site.

“We should be substantially complete by the Thanksgiving timeframe,” said County Engineer Marcus Jones.

The board of commissioners voted 5-0 to award Allison Contractors of Hendersonville a contract to develop the long-awaited Tuxedo Park. The vote comes nearly two weeks after the Green River Community Association gave the company's plans and bid its blessing in July.

The company will clear and grade the site; install stormwater controls; build and pave walking trails and parking; import topsoil and sow grass in a meadow and lawn area of the park; plant trees and shrubs provided by area citizens; put up split-rail fencing; and erect a flagpole and signage.

County officials found out July 11 that Tuxedo's park was not among the 17 projects chosen this cycle by a state authority for a Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant.

Commissioners had socked away $225,000 in reserves last year to use for construction or as a match in case the Green River Community Association won the dollar-for-dollar grant. They'd also budgeted $200,000 in the current fiscal year in case the PARTF grant failed.

Last year, Henderson County Parks and Recreation was denied in the first PARTF cycle but received notice just before Christmas that it had won a $500,000 grant to help pay for its new Athletics and Activity Center.

But a PARTF representative told county officials that the authority's delay in deciding this spring's grant cycle – caused by a delinquent state budget process – made it unlikely the community association would get another crack at grant funds until 2015.

Jones said Allison's bid was so “favorable” that it would cover the work foreseen in the grant application anyway.

Allison's base bid was nearly $100,000 below the other four offers received by the county and was still the low bid even after tacking on “alternates” such as trail paving, seeding grass and planting vegetation. Vice Chairman Tommy Thompson said he was impressed that Allison's price included those add-ons that “could've been kicked out.”

Owner Leon Allison told the board he'll begin work immediately and “we anticipate maybe, if the Lord's willing and the weather, 60 days, we'll be pretty much finished and it'll be prime seeding time.”

Allison said he was “very comfortable” with his bid, but added that as a Zirconia resident, he understands the community's desire to see the park completed after years of bake sales, car washes and other fundraisers.

“I would really like the park completed,” he said. “My grandkids would play there. My great-grandchildren would play there. So, the park is greatly needed and we'd like to have a place where we could honor the veterans and do a numerous amount of things down there over the years.”

Commissioner Grady Hawkins pointed out that the park has been on the drawing board since 1988.

“And two decades later, we're about to see it come to fruition,” he said. “There was a lot of trouble just finding land in that part of the county and fortunately, I think with Commissioner (Larry) Young's help and the board's, (we) finally resolved that problem.”

<p>Residents of Tuxedo, Zirconia and Green River could have a new public park by this fall, after county commissioners on Monday authorized a $328,328 construction project at the former Tuxedo Mill site.</p><p>“We should be substantially complete by the Thanksgiving timeframe,” said County Engineer Marcus Jones.</p><p>The board of commissioners voted 5-0 to award Allison Contractors of Hendersonville a contract to develop the long-awaited Tuxedo Park. The vote comes nearly two weeks after the Green River Community Association gave the company's plans and bid its blessing in July.</p><p>The company will clear and grade the site; install stormwater controls; build and pave walking trails and parking; import topsoil and sow grass in a meadow and lawn area of the park; plant trees and shrubs provided by area citizens; put up split-rail fencing; and erect a flagpole and signage.</p><p>County officials found out July 11 that Tuxedo's park was not among the 17 projects chosen this cycle by a state authority for a Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant.</p><p>Commissioners had socked away $225,000 in reserves last year to use for construction or as a match in case the Green River Community Association won the dollar-for-dollar grant. They'd also budgeted $200,000 in the current fiscal year in case the PARTF grant failed.</p><p>Last year, Henderson County Parks and Recreation was denied in the first PARTF cycle but received notice just before Christmas that it had won a $500,000 grant to help pay for its new Athletics and Activity Center.</p><p>But a PARTF representative told county officials that the authority's delay in deciding this spring's grant cycle – caused by a delinquent state budget process – made it unlikely the community association would get another crack at grant funds until 2015.</p><p>Jones said Allison's bid was so “favorable” that it would cover the work foreseen in the grant application anyway.</p><p>Allison's base bid was nearly $100,000 below the other four offers received by the county and was still the low bid even after tacking on “alternates” such as trail paving, seeding grass and planting vegetation. Vice Chairman Tommy Thompson said he was impressed that Allison's price included those add-ons that “could've been kicked out.”</p><p>Owner Leon Allison told the board he'll begin work immediately and “we anticipate maybe, if the Lord's willing and the weather, 60 days, we'll be pretty much finished and it'll be prime seeding time.”</p><p>Allison said he was “very comfortable” with his bid, but added that as a Zirconia resident, he understands the community's desire to see the park completed after years of bake sales, car washes and other fundraisers.</p><p>“I would really like the park completed,” he said. “My grandkids would play there. My great-grandchildren would play there. So, the park is greatly needed and we'd like to have a place where we could honor the veterans and do a numerous amount of things down there over the years.”</p><p>Commissioner Grady Hawkins pointed out that the park has been on the drawing board since 1988.</p><p>“And two decades later, we're about to see it come to fruition,” he said. “There was a lot of trouble just finding land in that part of the county and fortunately, I think with Commissioner (Larry) Young's help and the board's, (we) finally resolved that problem.”</p><p>___</p><p>Reach Axtell at than.axtell@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7860.</p>